


Lady Justice and the Reaper

by theDah



Series: WIP works [1]
Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Light BDSM
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 03:57:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16905672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theDah/pseuds/theDah
Summary: A new town, a new job and a messy murder trial – Kaoru has her hands full as the Kyoto’s northern district’s new Public Defender. However, when she tries to relieve her stress by picking up a one-night stand at the BDSM club… she will find out just how difficult it’s to keep to her professionalism after she has unknowingly mixed business with pleasure.





	1. Two sides of the same coin

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of m older WIP works that I had previously posted only on Tumblr. However, due to Tumblr's recent tumbles... maybe it's not a bad idea cross-post stuff. :)
> 
> As for the idea, this was basically very self-indulgent Lawyer AU mixed with non-explicit BDSM themes. I started writing this for the sheer fun of it but got bit writer's blocked and never found time to continue after. But I still like to reread the first two chapters every now and then, so you never know. :)

It was warm and cozy.  

Her arm was wrapped around a lean waist, her chest pressed against solid back and coarse hair tickled her face. The haze of sleep, the luxury on sleeping in… waking up with a man in her arms. 

A bliss.

Kaoru smiled happily and snuggled closer, burying her face to his neck.

“Mmmm,“ she moaned, not wanting to wake up yet, but to continue to enjoy this sublime dream. Oh yes, this was perfect state – exactly what she had needed, for too damn long. Too bad having this in real life would be nearly impossible, as she simply didn’t have time for boyfriend and the casual wasn’t her thing, either.

So, for the moment she simply laid there, basked in the sensations; the warmth, the smell and feel of a man in her arms. However, bit by bit the ugly reality of spooning was starting to become apparent as her right hand was getting numb.

It was frankly annoying. But more importantly…

_…since when do my dreams feel so real?_  The errant thought was like a thunderbolt, and suddenly Kaoru’s eyes blinked open and she scrambled to sit up in shock. Thankfully, her company was sleeping like a log and simply snuffled into his pillow, not even close to waking up. 

Her heart felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest, and she held her hand over her mouth, trying desperately to stay silent. It wasn’t exactly easy – there was a naked man in her bed, a brunette she had never seen before!

…or had she?

Pausing, Kaoru leaned closer. There was faint reddened mark around his bicep, one that looked remarkably alike a rope burn…

_Oh._ She swallowed drylyand as slowly as human possible, slipped away from the blankets, trying not to make any noise at all. The cold draft hit her skin with a jolt and made her own nakedness readily apparent. However, that wasn’t important, not compared to the flashes of memory trickling in that she had just assumed to be one of her sexy dreams, conjured by the imagination of a horny bachelorette workaholic.  
  
The neatly folded set of leather pants and skin-tight sheer shirt lying in the middle of her empty, nearly spartan living room floor proved her faint hopes false. Idly, she leaned to pick them up. They were rather good quality, if desperately out of fashion even in the old-fashioned Kyoto’s fetish scene.

They were also the reason why she had approached him, last night.

The world was starting to make sense, bit by bit, and her panic finally eased. Yes, he had been wearing these clothes, looking rather out of place among the young club folk. The same as she had felt right then. So she had hedged her bets, finally deciding to take the gamble.

Smiling softly, Kaoru rubbed the comfortably worn leather in her hands.   
  
Frankly, the brunette – Shin, he had introduced himself as – had been about as far as possible from type of men she had dated in university, when she had been a rowdy student seeking distractions from her Master’s thesis. Even during those wild years, her type had been always the tall, muscular and manly bad boys, whose brave face and coarse language tended to be all façade.

After all, for her the sheer exhilaration of domination was so much the better when there was challenge in the act. For some people the BDSM was about pain, about power… but to her, it was about trust. Seeing a man, a powerful man give himself to her will, to trust her to lead him through the scene, it was the best ecstasy there was. 

“Shows not to judge the book by the cover,” she remarked to herself with a scoff. Then, laying down his clothes to the couch, she smiled and headed for a morning wash.

Chatting up Shin, inviting him to her place for a scene, she really had lucked out and completely by accident at that. She hadn’t been expecting much from the night, because to her experience the short and pretty men tended to be doormats, or even more often, gay. 

Shin was neither.

Frankly, if she hadn’t figured out after a few false starts that his trigger was pleasing people, it would have been very difficult to help him to let go of thinking, to forget himself, to properly and utterly to submit. But when he had finally got there, it had been nearly miraculous to see the stress lines around his eyes, on his brow to ease and a soft smile to rise on his lips. 

It had been the highlight of her whole week.

Well, that and the sex, she allowed and shook her head. Toweling her hair, she headed for the kitchen and in quick, efficient steps loaded up her coffee machine and set it to brew. A stray though striking her, she then rummaged through her half unpacked possession for a second coffee mug. She had moved only last week, and all her stuff was still in boxes and whatnot. 

She wasn’t exactly sure what the standard was for the one-nighters, but given how exhausted Shin had been, she figured she could at least offer him breakfast. Besides, what was the hurry? It was Sunday morning and the sun was already high up. She could get to the office a bit later and work on the last minute notes.

Not that it would help her much come tomorrow’s first hearing in Court. She had nothing solid to build her defense, and the kid wouldn’t talk, not yet. He was too afraid. Kaoru sighed. No, she really didn’t want to think of the next week’s incoming horror show.   
  
The simple sandwich was easy enough for her to prepare, and to her nose the coffee smelled perfectly fine. Maybe it wouldn’t be gourmet quality, but frankly, at this point of their “date” her lack of cooking skills hardly mattered.

Feeling rather good, she headed back to the bedroom. Shin was still sleeping, curled to his side and looking entirely too fine for her peace of mind. Not bothering to be quiet about it, she laid her towel to dry over the door and pulled on her comfy clothes; worn bra, tee-shirt and sweatpants. Then, settling beside him on the bed, she simply watched him for a moment.

He really slept like a man who hadn’t had a good rest in years.

To be honest, it was somewhat worrying. Those stress lines, how hard it had been for him to let go, to submit… never mind those clothes so badly out of fashion. It was rather obvious that he hadn’t taken anytime to play a scene in years.

She wasn’t entirely sure how it was for submissives, as she hadn’t ever really reached that feeling herself, but one of her exes had described it as the best way to relax there was. That sometimes, for some people, that feeling where they didn’t need to think, to be responsible of anything, to only feel the moment… it was healing, in a way. And now, looking at this beautiful man in her bed, she could believe it.  
  
Softly, she smiled and reached to stroke his dark brown hair. However, running her fingers through his errant locks, she could feel lines of stitching and couldn’t help the befuddled gasp escaping her lips, “huh?”

No matter how nice his hair looked, how real it had seemed… it couldn’t be anything but a wig.

“..oro?” Shin mumbled sleepily and blinked blearily at her. His brown eyes were rather irritated looking, too, she noted, holding her breath. It was like at that moment, a million theories raced through her mind, some wilder than the rest, topped with all the possible reactions she should have to them. Most of them were distrustful, suspicious and angry. What did he have to hide that his eyes looked like he had slept with contact lenses on, that he was wearing a wig and how even his name had to be fake..?

But then again, what was the point? 

They were strangers.

Sure, they had had amazing sex together. Sure they had shared together the sort of acts she normally would only do with someone she trusted, but last night…. Last night she had been alone in a club seeking something to forget the stress of everything; of new town and a new job, of becoming the public defender without any tool to help that stupid and scared boy who had murdered a man and had no hope to get a normal life ever again. 

Last night she had wanted to forget and Shin, he had given her that. Did she need to know more?

No, not really.

So, she stroked his scarred cheek instead, and smiled, “good morning, sleepy head. How do you feel?“   
  
He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and slowly pushed himself to sit up, as if he was sore. She inched closer, and wrapped her arm around him to steady him, rubbing his shoulders. “Shh, take it easy. It was quite a night.”

She hadn’t been very rough with ropes, but even simple ties and short suspensions could be taxing if one wasn’t used to it. He didn’t seem like he was hurting exactly, but she couldn’t help caring. Besides, he had given his well-being to her responsibility and while he was under her roof, she would damn well do her best to make him comfortable.

“Ah, no… This one is fine. Thank you, Miss Kaoru,” he finally said. Glancing at her, he smiled, a blush rising to color his cheeks. It made him look very cute, and far younger than the late twenties she had questimated earlier. 

“You’re welcome, Shin.” She dimpled at him in return, “There is breakfast waiting. Do you want a shower before or after?”

 

* * *

 

The Monday morning found Kaoru clutching at her notes, in front of the high stairs of the looming Kyoto’s northern districts courthouse.

“…okay, you can do this,” she muttered, even while knowing it was just pep-talk, that her notes were at best smoke and dust, not substantial in the least. But given her defendant’s situation, even these scraps were better than nothing at all.

Besides, the court of law was remarkably alike a battlefield for the truth and justice, and rarely the first skirmish decided the end. Therefore it was perfectly possible to win, if the prosecutor made error, or the witnesses brought a new angle… Or if her defendant stopped lying and gave her finally something more solid than a claim for self-defense. 

Kaoru sighed, and slowly let out an exhale. Then, squaring her jaw and standing straight, she marched inside. 

She had visited this place only once before, back when she had been interviewed for this job, but even a short visit had been enough to give her an idea about the general layout. However, her superior had wanted to meet her for a quick chat before her case’s the first hearing begun at 10am.   
  
_Good, I am well on time,_  she noted in relief after glancing at her watch. It would have been beyond embarrassing to be late on her first case here.  _But where is he?_  

_Nowhere to be seen, as usual_ , Kaoru noted with a frown. While he hadn’t specified any place for their meeting, was she really going to wait in the middle of lobby for him?  
  
_No change on hell_ , she scoffed and headed for the east wing elevators. The hearing would be in seventh floor, she knew. All the criminal cases requiring three panel judges where held there, because the courtroom needed to be somewhat larger. The elevator arrived, but to her annoyance, it was already occupied by a pair of men dressed in suits.

_Other attorneys?_ Tensely, she nodded at them and tried not to be annoyed by their surprised gazes.  _Haven’t they ever seen a woman wearing a suit?_

She didn’t much care for skirts, especially when she needed to be her best. But given that there was a need for certain extra edge for her first showing in Kyoto, she had chosen to wear heels. On top of boosting her confidence, they gave her three inches of extra height which meant that at least she wouldn’t be shorter than her sixteen year old client. 

”…so as I was saying, I got a good feeling about my case, today. My defense isn’t too shabby and that goddamn gaijin bastard isn’t tearing it into pieces this time.“ A young layer behind her back noted happily, to which the other attorney laughed openly. “Yeah, this is a good week for both of us, then. I didn’t get the Reaper, either.”  
  
She glanced at them from the corner of her eye, curious – vaguely disappointed when the elevator stopped at her floor. To her honest surprise, though, both of the lawyers stepped out with her.  _Just how many criminal cases there are running at the same time in here?_

However, she wasn’t the only one startled, because the young and happily smiling lawyer paused to gape at her, “oh, oh! I have heard about you! You must be Kamiya Kaoru, the new hotshot public defender they hired from Tokyo? Damn, I didn’t realize you were a woman!”

The other lawyer snorted a laugh and instantly Kaoru’s temper flashed. Gritting her teeth she battled down the sudden urge to strangle the both of them and icily replied, “Oh, that doesn’t speak well of your reading skills, then. My name is written as fragrance, which is hardly a man’s name.”

He spluttered in shock, but thankfully didn’t argue how its alternate spelling had become rather popular for boys name during the last decade or so. Then other one beside him, interrupted them snidely, “Don’t be so rude to the Miss, Hira. After all, our good fortune is because of her.”

His eyes glinting, the jovial Hira-san grinned, too. “Right you are, Sato-san.”

Kaoru frowned, not liking their conspiring glances in the least. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, some professional gossip among us lowly private sector attorneys, that’s all. Not interesting in the least, not to such respectable figures as public defenders.” He remarked, and took of his glasses to wipe them clean with a handkerchief. 

Kaoru’s brow was developing a tick as she tried to quell her irritation. Hira-san, thought, saved her from needing to ask more, “Sato-san, rein in your temper, wouldn’t you? She’s going to have hard enough a week ahead of her even without your problems, you know. She’s got the Reaper, and for her first case here. Oh man, that’s harsh.”

“I don’t care who this “ _Reaper_ ” is, but I definitely aren’t going to have him affect my work in anyway,” Kaoru bit out, her temper running thinner.

The jovial Hira-san, raised his brow and smiled at her in sympathy, “Oh, but you are. Because my dear Kamiya-san, today you are going to face the most cold-blooded motherfucker there is. You are going to helplessly listen him to methodically and efficiently tear apart all your carefully prepared defenses, and when he is done, the judge will sentence your client to the exact decree the Reaper outlined during his opening statement.”

Kaoru stared at him, incredulity winning over her annoyance and raised her brow at his, admittedly well executed, attempt at scaring her of.

However, noting her reaction, Sato-san sighed too, looking away, “Miss Kamiya, Hira-san is being honest, for once. I don’t know which god you pissed off to have such a bad luck, but the Reaper has the best success rate of all Prosecutors in the country. Worse, he has stood at the top for ten years, straight. There is no way you can win.”

_…just what the hell are these guys trying to pull here? Do they honestly except me to believe this bull-shit?_  She frowned, “my case is hardly a high profile enough to warrant such a prosecutor.”

“Huh? It isn’t? But why would they assign him to you then? I mean I have a head of local yakuza accused of triple homicide, and Sato here is trying to get this rich politician our of bribe scandal…“ Hira-san’s eyes were honestly puzzled, but there was no way she could answer him.   
  
After all, her case was going to be tried behind closed doors, because her client was underage. Hedging her bets for the best answer to pull more info out of him, she drew breath and –

“Kamiya! Stop gossiping and get your ass moving!” A familiar harsh voice barked from the sides, “I need to brief you before your client gets here!”

Like a kid caught her hand in cookie jar, Kaoru spun around to face her supervisor. The harsh and vicious Head of Public Defender’s office, Saito Hajime, was staring at her with piercing eyes from the doorway to her case’s assigned court-room.

“Yes, Saito-sensei,” she yelped, and rushed to follow him inside.

Thankfully, only the secretary was setting up his work station and none of the other players had yet arrived. It was perfectly logical, though. There was still some twenty minutes before the hearing was scheduled to start. Even her defendant hadn’t yet been escorted here from his stay at the police’s detention cells.

“Kamiya, did you get your notes together for this at the weekend?” Her superior barked, going straight to the business as was his habit.

She nodded promptly, “yes, of course. I admit it isn’t much, but I will be claiming it was self-defense and try to get the boy’s sentence reduced, taking into account his age. However, the murder was so brutal and given the act had an eye-witness…" 

Saito frowned, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. However, before she could clear her throat to remind the smoking was forbidden here, he grimaced, and crumpled it in his fist. Then he stared at the prosecutors stand. "I have no doubt that those miserable gossips told you who you are facing today. But do you know why the Prosecutors office assigned their best man at this?”

“No, not really." 

His eyes were hard, but there was a hint of something else flashing in them. Sadness? It disappeared like a ghost, leaving no trace behind to color his deadpan expression, "For the same reason I assigned you to this case. There is no chance that Yahiko Myojin can walk away from this mess. No, that boy’s life is over and only thing we can do is minimize losses by losing quickly. The last thing anyone wants is for the media to get whiff of this.”

Kaoru swallowed dryly, trying to gather her thoughts. “Sir, you mean… You want me to lose? Is that why you wanted to speak with me before the hearing?”

“Yes." 

There was something utterly gut-wrenching in that simple word.

And though she could follow his logic, she hadn’t ever heard anything as cruel in her life, and at that moment, a spark of determination light up inside her soul and she heard her voice to answer, "Sir, I’m afraid I can’t do that. Losing isn’t in my vocabulary, and more importantly, I became public defender to help those that had no one else to defend them. No matter how difficult, how impossible… no matter who I will face here today, I will defend that boy to the best of my capability.”

His fingers clenched so tight that his knuckles cracked, and then, he forced his fist to open and drop the broken and shapeless cigarette to the floor. He sneered at her, “do as you like.” And then, he turned around and walked out of the room, leaving her to stare at his back shaking in helpless anger.

However, no matter what she thought about her bastard of a superior, she had to admit there was one good side to being angry enough to spit nails. All the dregs of her earlier hesitations and nervousness had been burned away by this red hot rage, leaving behind only ashes and the professional coolness. So when her client was escorted in, and the courtroom began to fill, she was able to smile comfortingly to Yahiko and not get frustrated by his prideful stubbornness and obvious lies when asked for a few last minute clarifications.

Then, her watch showed it was 9.59 am and the door behind the judge’s stand opened, letting in the panel of three judges in to settle into their seats. As this was a criminal case, there needed to be the consensus among all of them to reach a verdict.

However, Kaoru couldn’t help feeling somewhat befuddled as to why the prosecutor hadn’t still shown up. If this guy was supposed to be feared for his legendary success rate and was apparently famous enough to warrant such a corny nickname as “the Reaper”, surely he should be professional enough to be on-time for a hearing? Or perhaps he was so stuck up with his ego that he didn’t think such an obvious, “easy” case as this didn’t merit the respect of his timeliness?

Suddenly, Yahiko inhaled sharply at her side, and Kaoru was pulled out of her thoughts. His eyes were utterly focused to the other end of the room, and following that look to the Prosecutor’s side, the first thing she noted was startlingly red hair.

_A gaijin, huh?_ And idle thought struck her, as she took in his stylish suit and short stature, but then she met his violet eyes   _-_  and froze, her heart skipping a beat.   

Even if they were at the opposite ends of the courtroom and there had to be at least fifteen feet between them, still she saw how his eyes widened in recognition and his pale skin paled a shade paler. 

Shin, he had introduced himself as, when she had suggested a one-night’s fun between them. Yesterday at the office, making her research for the finishing touches to her notes, she had noted that the prosecutor in her case was Kenshin Himura and she hadn’t thought anything about it. 

Now, she could only gape at him, her brain having short-circuited to the fact that she had sex with an honest-to-fucking-god  _prosecutor_  connected to the same case as her. That moment of panic seemed to stretch endlessly, but then he pulled his gaze away from her and swallowed, and the moment was over and she could breathe again.

He laid his suitcase down, settled to sit at his desk, pulled out his laptop and notes… and she was battling an urge to get some answers directly from the source, when suddenly the judge slammed his hammer down, putting and effective end to her panicky fretting. 

The judge’s opening speech was customary, very dry and according to the standard. But thought it was nothing new, it forced her to focus to the case at hand. Shivers ran through her spine when Shin –  _no, Kaoru! No, he is Himura Kenshin, the prosecutor! Focus on that!_  – stood up and calmly recited the exact same indictment that she had read from the paper when she had been given this case; a murder in the first degree, minimum of ten years of imprisonment.

The murder had been particularly brutal, yes. But there was no clear motive, and Yahiko had defensive wounds. More, he didn’t seem like a killer… but a scared and stupid boy of sixteen. So, Kaoru swallowed, and made her opening statements precisely, focusing on the unknowns.

So fucking what if she didn’t have enough facts to build her case on?

Her defendant was fucking  _sixteen_  and he had struggled to fight back. If the witness hadn’t seen the act too clearly, she had a change to reduce Yahiko’s sentence to a minimum, or as last case scenario try to get him declared mentally unsound to spare him the prison. 

All throughout her speech,  _he_  sat on his desk quietly, taking notes. At times he would glance at the kid by her side, but never once did he look at her.

Honestly, she would have liked to say the same.

After all, it was the only professional way of handling this mess. But somehow, during these first statements, her eyes had already noted how much more handsome he was with that striking red hair, pulled back to short pony tail with bangs cut to frame his face stylishly. His violet eyes were sharp and clear, if very unusual. 

But perhaps the most important thing catching her notice was how he didn’t seem as tired and worn as he had been two nights ago… When he had knelt at her feet, naked, hemp rope tying his clever hands firmly behind his back as she finally got him to let go, to stop thinking and bend his neck in submission.

“And what is the prosecutor’s answer to the defense’s statements? Are you willing to reconsider your charges?” The judge asked with a frown on his brow, clearly at crossroads concerning this messy case. Kaoru held her breath, hoping beyond hope that  _he_  could see further than the letter of law, to how terrified the kid at her side was. That he would understand just as clearly as she had, that Yahiko couldn’t possibly have murdered Gasuke Jisan without a cause, that it  _had_  been self-defense.

At the prosecutor’s desk, Kenshin stood up and bowed to the judge. Then, looked at the boy at her side, and slowly trailed his gaze to meet hers. His eyes were utterly emotionless and a shiver raced through her spine because she knew what he was going to say. 

_No, no… Don’t do this. Please, have some mercy, some decency!_ She wanted to yell, but she couldn’t. No, because this was the court of law, the battle to reach the truth and justice and he…

“No, your honor. The prosecution demands for ten years of imprisonment due to the murder of the first decree.”

…had no mercy at all. It was just as her fellow attorneys’ had said. What even her bastard of a superior Saito-sensei had confirmed. This prosecutor, this Himura Kenshin, was cold and efficient, an unstoppable monster… just like the Reaper. 

 


	2. On the flip side...

After those opening statements, the hearing had proceeded swiftly to the examination of the evidence. One piece at the time, all the facts were presented in the court and she was given a chance to argue her defense based on them.

”…and as you can see from these pictures taken at the defendant’s arrest, the bruises match his account of the night, that there was a bodily struggle between Gasuke-san and him.“ Kaoru paused to draw breath, keeping a pause long enough to lend weight to her words. “Honorable judges, these wounds were defensive wounds. They signal clearly that Gasuke Jisan, an adult man in his peak, who is known for his achievements in the Kendo circuit, forcibly pushed a schoolboy to his knees and held him there against his will.”

The thoughtful frowns on all of the three judge’s faces, their considering glances at Yahiko, it was clear she had got what she had aimed for, to get them thinking beyond the horrifying pictures in the crime scene evidence section they had examined just before.

Now, it was time to wrap it up, to give them time to stew.

“Why? We do not know, but like the motivation for this case, these unknowns have significance.“ She trailed her gaze to meet each of the judges’ eyes, and then bowed, "Thank you, your honors. The defense gives the floor for the Prosecution.”

Making her way back to her desk, she couldn’t feel any pride in her speech. What did it matter that she was very good at this game, that she knew how to use her charisma, how to push her arguments to the best effect?

Not a damn thing, that’s what. No, because without facts all she had was smoke and mirrors, and those were useless against  _him_.

Sitting down, she forced herself to relax and exhaled through gritted teeth. Raising her gaze to the desk across from hers, she felt, yet again, at loss. How could the soft-spoken and blushing cutie, who had relished licking her pussy like pleasuring her was his lifeline, suddenly turn into this emotionless monster of the courtroom?

Kenshin was still writing his notes methodically, his expression cool and collected, as if cast in stone. Fuck, everything in him was so closed off that she couldn’t even venture a guess to what he was thinking. Cool and unshakable, all the cards in his hands, while she was struggling underwater, her breath running out.

She had never felt like this in the court, this feeling of utter helplessness.  _No, don’t think that – don’t shoot yourself down and do his work for you! He is just a man, and men you can deal with!_

Swallowing dryly, she closed her eyes to think.

No matter that her bastard of superior had wanted to wrap this up fast, it was clear that the key was getting her defendant’s trust. Yahiko might be sullen and stupidly stubborn, but he wasn’t insane or evil. She knew this deep in her gut. However, the boy was also desperately afraid, feeling all alone in the world. He was sure no one was at his side, that no matter what he did, the end result would be the same.

She would convince him otherwise, but for that, she needed  _time_.

An average, underpaid and over-worked prosecutor in Tokyo, she could have lead around in circles just as long as she wanted. After all, the examination of evidence was the phase for that and some cases had extended weeks, months… hell, some particularly complicated and tricky trials had lasted years just to clear through all the facts.

But that damn Kenshin Himura had already worked through over half of the evidence list, and it wasn’t even lunch time yet!

It was blatantly ridiculous!

This was a fucking murder trial for an underage defendant, how the fuck could he have every thread so neatly in his hands?

Suddenly she was pulled out of her thoughts, as the judge called out, “Very well, it seems that we have cleared through all the hard evidence in file. How does the prosecution wish to proceed?” And then, that soft voice answered, deadly calm, “Your honors, the eye-witnesses account is ready to be heard in the afternoon.”

 _He is going to try to wrap this up today?_ A wave of panic flashed through her, and she gripped her desk, about to rise up and call for a postponement –

“However, in the meanwhile, the prosecution would ask for the permission to re-examine the evidence of the crime scene.”

_What…?_

_Why would_ he _­ want to stall?_ Kaoru gaped, but she wasn’t the only one at loss at the surprising turn. Because even the high judge raised his brow, “has there been something left unmentioned?”

Kenshin stood up calmly, not even glancing at his notes, now calmly piled in neat stacks on his desk. “No, your honors. However, the defense brought up a question the prosecution would like to review.”

“Very well. The court allows it, if the defense agrees,” the judge nodded.

Now, while it was rather obvious that Kenshin had a plan behind this sudden request, and a part of her knew that she was just begging for a bloodied nose… There was one bad habit she had gained, having grown up in the kenjutsu dojo, among the boys and fights; she never could back away from a clear challenge.

No matter how stupid it could be, she knew her strength, she had a good idea of his… but truthfully, what it all came down to was the fact that she  _needed_  to buy more time. So, she stood up promptly and nodded at the judges. “The defense agrees.”

The anticipation and adrenaline churning inside her, she sat down and watched him to bow, to thank for the permission, and then to bring up a picture of the crime scene and the nearly unrecognizable corpse of the ordinary salaryman, Gasuke Jisan, up to the screen.

“Your honors, the defense has requested leniency in this case, claiming self-defense. The base of her argument lies on the account of the accused and the probable progression of the events. Yes, indeed, the crime scene in the poorly illuminated alley of the eastern part of the city, that it happened fifteen minutes past midnight… how the victim had alcohol in his blood. All these paint a scenario which could explain the fierce argument that ended up costing the victim his life.”

Kaoru frowned.  _What is he playing here?_

_Why would he suddenly confirm what I have been trying to suggest the whole morning? The possibility that Gasuke could have been the aggressor and forced Yahiko to fight back in a blind panic?_

“Even the first wound, the bite severing the femoral artery can be explained as self-defense. However, not taking in the account whether a 16-year-old young male knew that biting to the inner tight could be fatal, or why he was on his knees in the first place… The prosecution would like to point out three things about the unknown motivation the defense argued. First –”

Kenshin brought up zoomed pictures of gaping, grotesque wound in the victim’s tight, “to bite down anywhere, to another human being hard enough to tear a chunk of flesh out, the only thing in the perpetrator's mind is the intent to cause pain. No matter how afraid, there is no doubt that the defendant  _wanted_  to hurt Gasuke-san.”

She almost wished to rise to stand, to protest that if an adult man had a child’s face so close to his crotch, it would give anyone a reason to bite down and to fight back. However, Kenshin had already brought up another picture in the screen, this one depicting the victim’s unrecognizable face.

“Secondly, not taking into account the defendant’s state of mind, the basic human reaction to a terrifying situation is to escape –” he paused, looking at each of the judges, before directing his hard gaze to the white-faced boy at her side. “While Gasuke-san was clutching his bleeding tight, the defendant grabbed his head and pushed his eyeballs into his skull, before kicking his face until the only way for the police to identify the victim was from his fingerprints. There is no doubt about the  _intent_  behind that act.”

All the speeches she had given here, every single one had been trying to suggest that Yahiko wasn’t a murderer, but that it had been at best manslaughter. That even if his hands had been bloodied, it wasn’t intentional, that he had simply been too lost in panic.

 _Oh god, he is tearing my arguments apart…_ Mute in horror, Kaoru could only wait for the last stone to drop.  

“And finally, your honors, the prosecution would like to address the location of this murder. The street was near the establishments Gasuke-san was known to frequent. Not taking into an account how respectable it is for an ordinary salaryman to pay for his company, and indeed, he had a record for indecency… The question that needs answers, is, why was the defendant there?”

Yahiko lived on the other end of the town, they all knew. His family, his school and hobbies were all in the western edge of Kyoto. He had no explainable reason to be on the eastern district, never mind so late at Tuesday night. Utterly stunned by the realization, she spun to stare at the boy shaking next to her.

“Your honors, while the defense argues self-defense, the lack of reason behind this brutal murder… The prosecution answers: the facts show the defendant intended to cause pain, to hurt, that indeed, this was a murder in the first degree. Thank you.”

It was like he had stopped the time with those words. And for a while, she couldn’t see anything or even think beyond red haze enveloping her. The desperation and anger melded together with the sense of utter betrayal and swallowed her whole. The high judge’s voice sounded in the distance, but she couldn’t make out the words, couldn’t focus enough to piece together the syllables into reasonable sentences. She knew she needed to, she knew that the battle wasn’t over yet, that it wasn’t even lost. He had dealt her a grievous blow, shattered her defenses… hell, even the copper-tasting on her tongue from her bitten lip was his win as well.

But she wasn’t down yet.

No, she didn’t have the  _option_  of losing – not while she was Kaoru Kamiya and she had something to protect! So, gripping her desk tightly enough to crack her fingernails, she breathed in and out, in and out, and finally the judge’s words made sense again.“…given the remaining evidence are only copies of witnesses’ statements and eye-witness’ account, it seems another hearing won’t be necessary. If the prosecution and defense find it acceptable, the court will break off for a lunch and resume the hearing at one o'clock.”

 _He_  was just about to voice his agreement, but she was faster. Springing to her feet, Kaoru demanded, “The defense requires a postponement of the hearing to a later date.”

The silence echoing in the court was so thorough that one could have heard a pin drop. And then, the high judge cleared his throat and asked dryly, “does the defense have any  _reason_  for this request, such as new evidence or a witness that cannot be heard today?”

“No, your honor,” Kaoru admitted slowly, inwardly cringing at his tone and acutely recalled why she avoided trying his. To require a postponement of the trial without a reason, not only it was incredibly rude and inconvenient to everyone… but it also made her seem like she was a total rookie who hadn’t made her homework. Even in the best case scenario, it would have been a serious blow to her esteem, but given this was her first hearing as a Public Defender…

The high judge frowned, and turned to converse with his colleagues in hushed tones. The youngest of them browsed through his papers, while the senior among them simply glanced at Kenshin, who in turn was waiting calmly, the unreadable expression on his face yet again. For some reason, it annoyed her. More arguments followed, before the high judge straightened and banged his mallet on the table, “The request is denied. The court will resume at one o’clock. Thank you, that will be all.”

She fell to her seat like her legs had turned into jelly, and for a moment simply stared at her shaking hands and cracked nails.

 _It’s like I had been clinging a mountainside, trying to avoid falling…_ The sheer irony of the thought had her snorting a laugh, because the horrifying truth was that it wasn’t her life she was fighting for, nor was it over yet. Breathing deeply, she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms, and then she turned to address the stubborn silent, sullen kid at her side, “Yahiko, I know you aren’t a bad kid. I am well aware that you aren’t insane, either.”  

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but otherwise didn’t acknowledge her in any way, just like he hadn’t in their earlier discussions. Kaoru sighed, suddenly feeling sick and tired with the attitude.

Now, she might not have ever spent much time with children, but this mulishly stubborn defiance she knew like the back of her hand. After all, it was like looking at the mirror to the past and seeing her teenage rebellions. Narrowing her eyes in thought, she started lightly, “did you know that my boss wanted me to lose? He though it would be the best for everyone. Just another killer behind the bars, everyone continuing their lives in peace and quiet… Well, except you, of course.”

His breath hitched at the terrible truth in her callous remark, and staring blankly ahead, he clenched his fingers tightly on his trouser legs.

“I said, fuck him – not on those words, mind you.” Kaoru smiled, and finally, his shocked eyes found hers. “I swore to fight for you, to make my best that the truth would come out and you would be heard fairly –”  
  
“The truth! A fair trial?!” He burst out. Then, his eyes blazing, he snarled at her, “You sure are doing a great job, you ugly hag!”

Never had she heard anything so rude said to her face, and suddenly her temper just  _snapped_. “Ugly hag? You ungrateful idiot! If you just would give me answers, I could win this fight!”

“Win, you?” The kid sneered, “I might not understand even half of what you holier-than-thou bastards are yapping, but it’s obvious you couldn’t win against that redhead dude in a million years!”

It was like his words punched straight to her gut, forcing her to gape at him. Just who the hell was this kid to judge her? He had no idea how much she had already sacrificed today for him! But then, to add even more salt to her wounded and bleeding self-esteem, Yahiko nodded at the empty prosecutor’s desk, “Now, if he was defending me… I could believe I had a chance. But instead, they gave me a stupid and useless hag. With you, the less I say, the better I am off. The underage are sentenced less harshly, right?“

Surely it wouldn’t be over-reacting to tear her hair of?  The need to strangle the little bastard was almost over-bearing, but somehow, she managed to turn her back, grab her handbag and march out of the courtroom without a further word.

What she ordered from the courthouse’s cafeteria for lunch, or how much she paid for it, she couldn’t say. Her body moved on autopilot, while her mind was busy replaying the morning’s arguments on an endless loop. What she knew, what she didn’t, what she could have said different, what other angle she should have gone for… what pitfalls she could have avoided? Stabbing the unnamed morsels of her lunch with her chopstick, biting them to pieces, chewing and swallowing – it was rather meditative. But no matter how she racked her brains for ways to win, to succeed in this devil’s trap she had been thrust in… the only thing she kept coming back was how utterly and thoroughly fucked she was.

The Reaper is an invincible monster, those bastards had warned her this morning, the faux sympathy on their lips while the sheer relief echoed their every gesture. At the time, she had thought it just another round of scare the rookie, never mind that she was hardly new at defensive counsel, having won cases left and right these past four years in Tokyo. But somehow, for all her success, the mountains she had already climbed just to reach the respected post of the Public Defender at the age of 27… It took just one encounter with the Reaper for her to feel like she was a helpless kid thrust into shoes too large.

”…and to think I actually liked the guy,“ she muttered moodily, before sighing deeply and glancing at her watch. The judge had given them about 80 minutes for lunch, and of those, nearly an hour had already passed.

_Decisions, decisions… should I return early and try again with Yahiko?_

Somehow, the thought of returning to the den of monsters felt extremely distasteful. Besides, given how she had rubbed her eyes earlier, did she really want to return there looking like a raccoon dog?

“A tanuki girl, indeed,“ she harrumphed, and pushed herself to her feet and headed for the bathrooms.

That nickname had been her father’s invention, born when she tried to find her own style in the high-school. As a single parent, he had given her all the love and attention he could, taught her everything she had wanted to know… but of womanly arts, Master of Kendo and a police officer Kamiya Koshijirou hadn’t known a thing.

The light, natural looking make-up she now preferred, she had learned on her own. Sighing, she washed out the smudged mascara and set out to apply it again. However, she couldn’t help noting how rested she looked – a stark difference to last week, when the undersides of her eyes had been ugly purple from the stress and exhaustion. In that regard, her decision to let out some steam by going to a BDSM club had been a smart move, no matter who her partner had turned out to be.

She scoffed bitterly, "that Kenshin Himura…”

It wasn’t exactly logical to feel so angry about this whole mess, nor was it fair to blame him. After all, the interest in the fetish scene wasn’t something to advertise, least of all at the work as the public officials were expected to keep certain decorum. So, in that regard, she could understand his secrecy, the use of a disguise and a false name. It was the same reason she hadn’t shared her last name, for the matter. Even if she had toyed with the idea of asking for more…

Hissing as it stung, she shook her head furiously to expel the memories of their morning after.

“Forget about that blushing cutie Shin, and focus on his real face, idiot! Or are you really gonna let that damn Kenshin Himura to wipe the floor with you? Huh, are you?!“ Her blue eyes held rage and determination in them as they reflected in the bathroom mirror. Then, she grinned, "Not a chance in hell. So get going and nail that bastard!”

Someone could have said that these pep-talks were a childish habit, but then again… what did they knew? Everyone had their methods of picking themselves up after a bad fall, and hers just happened to be imitating her father’s motivational speeches.

It had been his true talent, to teach – and he had helped countless people, both in his work and during his lessons at the dojo. He had been a good man and the best dad there was, but if his untimely death had taught her something, it was that moping around didn’t solve a thing. No, no matter how hard an obstacle, she had to keep going… to live, learn and succeed.

It didn’t matter how impossible defending that stupid brat seemed, because she would find a way – she always did. Nodding in determination, she packed her stuff in few efficient steps and then, her head held high, made her way to the practically abandoned east wing lobby.

 _The lunch time, huh?_ She noted and stepped into the empty elevator. The doors closed, and then slowly it started its ascent to the upper floors. Her watch showed she had still ten minutes, just enough to browse through the remaining evidence list for better ideas… But out of a sudden, the elevator slowed to a halt and the doors opened to reveal  _him_.

Kenshin’s eyes widened slightly, surprised. But before she could say anything, he nodded at her in greeting and stepped inside.

The following ten seconds had to be the slowest in her entire life.

Being trapped in this tiny metal box with the bane of her whole morning, with only three feet’s distance separating them, it was like every cell of her being was utterly aware of him, of his every breath, slightest of movements… hell, he was so close that she could even smell his faint cologne!

But what bothered her most was how normal he seemed. How very alike to the kind and gentleman, who had smiled charmingly at her and then complimented the breakfast she had cooked –

 _Fuck it all!_ She swallowed a curse, unable to take it a moment more and hit the elevator’s stop button. They jerked to a halt, but before he had a chance to gain his bearings, she had already slammed her hands on both sides of his face. Her eyes blazing, she snarled, “Who the fuck you think you are, huh?!“

“Oro?” he gasped, his violet eyes widening in shock as he looked up at her. Yesterday, he had been slightly taller, yes. But today, she was wearing three-inch heels and damn had that been a good idea. Leaning closer, she narrowed her eyes, “I asked who the fuck you think you are,  _Shin_  –”

He closed his eyes, and held his breath – and a part of her relished his reaction to the faux name he had used to mislead her. Nearly close enough to touch, she hissed to his ear, “don’t you know that you are trying to destroy that kid’s life? He is just sixteen, mere schoolboy with a temper. He isn’t evil, or insane – no, we both know damn well that he had to have a reason!”

“I, I… This one –” he stammered, before shuddering and looking aside.

Swallowing once, he tried again, “killing isn’t ever acceptable, that it isn’t. Not for any reason, Miss Kaoru –” He paused, and then forced himself to meet her eyes. And instead of the cold and emotionless gaze she had tried to see past the whole morning, his eyes held soul-tearing  _grief_. “An adult man, or a boy of sixteen, the murder is still a murder, so it is.”

There was a sweat beading on his brow, and he was breathing deeply, like he had just run a mile. And suddenly, Kaoru realized that she was pressuring him, locking all his exits – and worse, only two nights ago she had restrained him with ropes just to get him to a similar state of helplessness, so that he could stop thinking and let go, to surrender to her will.

“Oh gods, no!” she gasped, and scrambled backward as far as she could, babbling in horror, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry – “

A kink was well and good, but with BDSM, the slippery slope leading to abuse, to misuse of power, was always present. She had always been aware of it, making sure to discuss the rules of the scene beforehand, always used the safe-words. More, she had always kept a firm eye on her partner’s well-being during and outside of the scene, cared for them to the best of her capability… Kaoru had never, ever, thought herself even capable of stepping over the line.

 _Oh god, oh god_  – the terror and guilt churning in her gut, she watched him to lean his back against the wall, fighting to calm his breath. His eyes were closed, and his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, again and again.

Then, after an eternity had passed, he heaved himself to stand up to his full height of 5′2″ and straightened his tie.

"Kamiya-san,” he started, his voice deadly calm and his face alike carved from stone, “you wished to know why I have indicted your client with the murder charges, and why I do not agree with lowering his charges based on his age?”

The chills raced through her as she nodded slowly – utterly terrified by his sudden change of manner.

“I am aware that Gasuke Jisan was hardly a respectable man. Indeed, he drank, whored, and bullied those he saw as his lesser. However, he was still a human being and I believe every person stands equal before the law, deserves the same justice – whether they are the victim or the perpetrator.”

She was shaking, her heart beating a hundred miles an hour when he stepped closer to her and pressed the button to restart the elevator. The doors opened not a moment too soon, and as he stepped out, he bowed towards her, the gesture so minute it was almost mocking. “We will continue this discussion in the court.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is wondering about Kenshin's speech patterns / how he behaves, the idea in this was that he is a workaholic who has to play up a role as a tough guy at work, but at home, in a club, or when he is relaxed he can fall back to his rurouni manners. And Kaoru would start to figure it out the more she stumbles across him.


End file.
